Moscow’s health department said 5,260 people died from the novel coronavirus in the city in May, far higher than the 1,895 deaths reported by Russia’s coronavirus crisis response centre over the course of that month, according to Reuters.

A healthcare worker takes a swab from a woman during testing for Covid-19 and antibodies at a clinic in Moscow, Russia. — Reuters
A healthcare worker takes a swab from a woman during testing for Covid-19 and antibodies at a clinic in Moscow, Russia. — Reuters

“Covid-19 as a main or an accompanying cause of death was registered in 5,260 cases,” the Moscow health department said in a statement on its website.

It said the difference of 3,365 between the previous death toll and the new one was down to changes made by Russia’s health ministry in its approach to counting coronavirus deaths.

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